2006-07 Girl Action Team Projects

Below are projects girls across Maricopa created and implemented in the 2006-2007 program year. Check out a video diary of the 2006-07 Phoenix projects and coach messages here.

TEAM 1, BOYS HOPE GIRLS HOPE, PHOENIX: EDUCATING PEERS ON DOMESTIC ABUSE
The girls of Team 1 believe that there is a stigma around talking about domestic abuse. The girls authored a play to create public awareness among students about speaking out on this issue.  Their play will educate youth about safe resources in their community and how to access them.  They presented their play to schools in their school district. 

TEAM 2, ORANGEDALE ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: STOP ANIMAL ABUSE
The girls of Team 2 want to stop the abuse and mistreatment of homeless animals.  As part of their campaign to increase awareness surrounding this issue, Team 2 developed a presentation that includes activities for youth. The activities will focus on educating young people about resources for animals, and how to access those resources in their community. The girls independently approached their principal and arranged a schedule of presentations for several classes in their school.  The girls also worked in partnership with a local animal shelter. 

TEAM 3, CENTERRA MIRAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL, GOODYEAR: OPERATION GOLDEN RULE
These girls believe that many of the fights and broken friendships at their school result from bullies influencing other students.  The team educated their peers about following “the golden rule” and treating each other with respect, in a school wide assembly. The girls wrote and starred in the play they presented at that assembly. The play deals directly with school bullies and the effect on both those who are bullied and those who do the bullying.  The girls also encouraged a respectful atmosphere at their school by creating and handing out “star awards” to peers who are seen doing something kind for another person. 

TEAM 4, CARL HAYDEN HIGH SCHOOL, PHOENIX: DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR
Team 4 believes that youth in their community are misinformed about the consequences of sex.  They feel that lack of information from adults and too much misinformation from their peers and the media can have a negative impact on the community. The girls created a DVD containing short video clips demonstrating the negative consequences teens face when misinformed about sex.  The girls feel that by using their two best resources, their peers and the media, they will educate and impact change in their community.    

TEAM 5, GRIFFITH ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: GIRLS: STOP VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY
Girl Action Team 5 is fired up about starting a campaign to take a stand against violence in their community. The team will teach girls about self-awareness and self-esteem in so that girls stop being part of creating violence through gossiping and bullying and also stand up against violence in all forms.  The team created and presented an original educational campaign that engages 7th and 8th grade girls. The curriculum includes discussions and activities on inner beauty, self-confidence, girl power and supporting beauty in others. They will tie in discussions on beauty and self-esteem and how these relate to violence in the community.

TEAM 6, EL DORADO HIGH SCHOOL, CHANDLER: CONNECTING YOUTH TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES
The girls of Team 6 believe their community has a high rate of teen drug use because many of their peers are unaware of the services available for help.  They created and distributed an informational flier that lists various organizations in their community that can assist youth with drug and alcohol related addictions.  By putting the information into the “right hands,” their peers can find safe, effective, affordable help. 

TEAM 8, A&A COTTAGES, MESA: ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF NEGLECT
The girls of Team 8 are creating a workshop to educate junior high and high school students about the cyclical nature of substance abuse and its connection to child neglect. They developed a multi-day workshop including presentations from girls on the team, and also experts in the field of substance abuse.  The girls included an interactive discussion after the workshop for participants to talk about their own experiences in order to learn from one another. 

TEAM 9, GATEWAY EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL, PHOENIX: THE REALITY OF BEING A TEEN PARENT
Team 9 is empowering girls to make better decisions when it comes to sex and the prevention of teen pregnancy. They feel that education is the key to preventing teenage girls from getting pregnant.  The girls made a curriculum for their school that incorporates caring for mechanical babies for two weeks. By letting students experience the “reality” of being a teen parent, they hope to increase awareness about the benefits of waiting to be a parent.

TEAM 10, WILLIAM R SULLIVAN ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: EDUCATING PEERS ON TEEN PREGNANCY
Girl Action Team 10 educated their peers about drug use, and how it can lead to teen pregnancy.  The girls believe teen decision making can be negatively affected when drugs are consumed. The girls partnered with the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and created a ribbon campaign for 6th, 7th and 8th graders at their school. .  They included a card with each ribbon that contains information regarding the impact drugs can have on sexual decisions or consequence of sexual behavior. 

TEAM 11, ARTHUR M HAMILTON ELEMENTARY, PHEONIX: CREATING A SAFE SPACE
The girls of Team 11 have been working together to create a space in their team meeting for open discussion on community issues.  After their community had violent acts occur to young women, the girls talked about where to go for help and how to create a sisterhood to support each other.  The girls will continue to work as a team on being a network of friends who watch out for each other and know how to offer support.

TEAM 12, SUNS DIAMONDBACK ACADEMY, PHOENIX: TACKLING THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE
All over the Valley, immigration is a hotly debated issue.  The girls of Team 12 feel that it is critical to understand current and pending immigration legislation.  By creating an awareness campaign in their school, the girls plan to educate their peers about the opportunities the DREAM Act (The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) provides children of illegal immigrants.  The girls each wrote a personal statement about their feelings on current immigration polices and are posting it to internet blogs. They also planned to submit the letters to the Arizona Republic and their school newspaper.    

TEAM 13, CESAR CHAVEZ HIGH SCHOOL, PHOENIX: CALL IT LIKE IT IS; CONFRONTING RACISIM
The girls on Team 13 have decided that the lack of communication between people of various ethnicities is one of the leading causes of racism in their school.  The girls are bringing people together, through an end of the year “Kick Back Party,” with different types of music and food, and interactive activities.  They hope that by brining students of different ethnicities together to talk, hang out, and have fun that the students will start a dialogue and find commonalities.  The girls want people to realize everyone has something to offer.

TEAM 14, TREVOR BROWNE HIGH SCHOOL, PHOENIX: EDUCATION IS KEY
The Girl Action Team at Trevor Browne High School has decided that in order to create social change in their neighborhood, they must first educate themselves on the issues that have the most impact on teens in their community. The girls have started a research campaign by visiting local Valley organizations that work with youth, and plan to interview several service providers.  By learning about these issues the team will be prepared to speak out publicly about the most pressing issues youth face in their community.

TEAM 15, WILSON ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: STOP THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN
The sexual exploitation of children is a sensitive topic.  The girls of Team 15 believe that by encouraging their peers to speak out about the issue of sexual abuse, they will create a youth voice in the community. They developed a platform for open communication, and organized an open forum for both parents and adults to talk about safeguarding the community.  By incorporating a youth voice into this discussion, the girls hope to impact the way adults approach and talk to children about the issue of abuse.

TEAM 16, STARSHINE ACADEMY, PHOENIX: NO MORE HATERS
The girls of Team 16 have determined that jealousy is the main cause of “haters” in their school, especially among middle school students. They are creating change through an awareness campaign that supports a community of understanding and tolerance amongst their peers.  The girls will distribute information to students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade that focuses on inner-esteem.

TEAM 17, DESERT REACH, PHOENIX: STOP STEROTYPING
The girls of Team 17 are focusing on the negative impact of stereotypes. They want to encourage heir community to see people, for who they really are, not who they think they are.  By creating t-shirts about the harmful effectives of stereotypes, they hope to increase awareness. 

TEAM 18, JACK L KUBAN ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: THE “HOW TO” OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION
The girls of Team 18 want to empower youth with confidence and self-esteem so that they are able to deal with peer conflict in a safe manner. The girls believe that it is important to have these skills before entering middle school, where peer conflict often arises. They delivered public service announcements to 5th grade students in their school by acting them out live in the class rooms. The PSAs offer information, resources, and choices for students on how to respond and deal with conflict safely. 

TEAM 19, ALFRED F GARCIA ELEMENTARY, PHOENIX: EVERYONE DESERVES A HOME
Team 19’s project is educating the community on the issue of homelessness. They created awareness packets, and plan to distribute them throughout Phoenix.  The girls believe that by making the community more aware of the seriousness of this issue, they can help connect families to resources and help find everyone a safe place to live.

TEAM 20, SANTA MARIA MIDDLE SCHOOL, PHOENIX: CREATING AWARNESS ABOUT ABUSE
The girls at Santa Maria Middle School want to raise awareness about child abuse, and how students can safely find resources on this issue.  The girls created a 30 minute presentation for their peers that includes identifying signs of abuse, the effects of it, and resources in their community to get help.  They presented to 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students at their school. They hope that by raising awareness less youth will face this serious issue alone.   

TEAM 21, INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL, GLENDALE: STOP THE VIOLENCE
The girls at Independence High School want to decrease student violence by addressing the issue of racism.  The girls started a public awareness campaign at their school about the correlation between racism in the community, and student violence on campus.  They wrote original skits depicting racist encounters, and performed them at a school assembly. The girls are recording their performance and will offer it to school administrators to add to the school’s curriculum on conflict resolution.   

TEAM 22, GIRL STEERING COMMITTEE
The Girl Steering Committee has worked relentlessly this year planning events, speaking at Girls For A Change functions, and networking to reach future social change agents.  The girls emceed and planned Spring Into Action and will emcee the Completion Ceremony. They have also been spokesgirls for the organization at 2 GFC fundraisers this year. They are the girl leadership body of the GFC Phoenix site.